Introduction
Hey.cafe is a new social media platform brought to you by Anthony Lee Twitter / Hey.cafe and the team at LAMMcs.
Tired of scrolling through countless ads and the same old threads on Twitter? Me, too.
Hey.cafe offers a refreshing take on social media allowing you to connect and discover new content via community driven “cafes”. Cafes are a place for people to post conversations and hang out. Think of a sub Reddit inside Twitter. Pretty rad. Read more here.
Imagine being able to customize your feed to see the types of posts you actually want to see. Sounds great, right? Hey.cafe is feature rich and feels like a fully built out app that’s been around for years. Here are some more key benefits:
Pros of Hey.cafe
No Ads!
Don’t pay for Twitter Blue to get less ads. Use Hey.cafe and get 0 ads. Always.
Cafes
Hey.cafe’s most innovative feature to drive community engagement. Read: What is a Cafe?
Check out the Cafe I just made for the #HNS community below.
Robust API
“The entire app and site is built on a single JavaScript block that includes no third party code, no linked dependencies, and no remote loaded resources including CSS. The entire app can be viewed via inspect element. Server side is custom including the backend API.”
Source
Import RSS feed
Import Twitter posts
Privacy focused (No Tracking)
Link Page
Check out https://anthony.myhey.cafe/. Just add your username before .myhey.cafe/ for a page with all your links and a sweet gif or two.
PWA
My hat is off to the team for creating a well developed progressive web app. Bypassing Apple & Google’s App Stores will help them ship faster and save money from fees. Apple takes 30% (ouch!).
Skip ahead and read more about Monetizing Hey.cafe.
Feature Rich
Did I mention it was feature rich? You can do just about everything you can do in Twitter… and Cafes!
- Repost
- Like / React
- Comment
- Direct Message
- Create Chat Threads in DMs
- Custom Embeds
- Pinned Posts
- Media uploads
- Cafes!
Drawbacks to Hey.cafe
Limited User Base
It can’t all be rainbows, right? The biggest drawback to most early social media platforms is their limited user base. Hey.cafe is still searching for it’s critical mass of users and network effect. However, where most people see drawbacks, I see opportunity. Cafes are the perfect remedy for community building with a minimal user base. There are groups of early adopters, there’s niche appeal, and opportunities for growth outside the traditional heavy hitters.
Overall, Hey.cafe is the best new social media app I’ve seen in sometime. I felt it provides a great blend of giving me what I need without getting sucked into a rabbit hole of endless scrolling.
This leads me to an interesting question. Do users really want a less addicting social media platform? Ultimately, it is up to the individual user to decide where their time is best spent. I’d spend it on Hey.cafe.
Monetizing Hey.cafe
Coming in at just over $2 bucks a month going Pro to support the team seems like a no-brainer. Here’s what you’ll get:
- Pro badge on profile.
- Ability to upload files to conversations.
- Ability to edit comments and conversations after you posted them.
- Faster RSS import from feeds.
- Conversation and comments text size up to 4500 characters vs 460.
- Larger conversation images at up to 3500px vs 800px.
- Larger comment images at up to 1500px vs 500px.
- More reactions for comments and conversations. 😎🎉🔥🤯🌹🖖💡🕹🌈🏆
How I'd Monetize:
Niche Down
Find a group online with die hard members that hangs out in a space where the tech is less than ideal. There's a focus on trading cards and Pokemon on the site. Migrate Pokemon fans to the platform. I'd look at Facebook Groups, Discord Servers, and outdated Forums for more niche ideas.
Social Media as a Service
Whitelable the underlying tech to communities looking for a social presence for their members.
Concerns
Internet Traffic is measured in display revenue. Without running ads successfully monetizing will be a challenge.
Conclusion
By prioritizing user well-being and reducing the influence of algorithms that can contribute to addiction, Hey.cafe could offer a more positive and enriching experience for its users. Additionally, by prioritizing privacy and security, Hey.cafe could help users feel more confident in their online interactions and more comfortable sharing. Overall, it is an appealing alternative for users who are seeking a more secure approach to their online presence.